As musicians we like sound. We like harmonies, and lead lines, and riffs. We like the sound of an individual instrument and also the complex whole of a tight band.

We shouldn’t be afraid of silence. When God directs or inspires silence during worship, it can be a time of reflection about His greatness, an expression of awe, and a time of reverence.

Remembering to revere God and not the music is something to keep at the forefront of our minds. We practice and prepare to honor Him, to lead skillfully, and to create an opportunity for people to worship God. But the music is a vehicle, a tool through which we express what’s in our hearts. Reverence and honor of God should be the underlying foundation of all that we do.

Yes, He loves our abandoned praise where we are uninhibited with joy, but He also wants our focus to be solely on Him. He is our sustenance—our everything.

If you’re uncomfortable with silence during corporate worship, where no one is singing and no instrument is playing, ask yourself why you feel that way. Do you take the time to worship personally at home, and then bask in awe of who He is when it’s just you and Him? Corporate worship is an extension of your personal worship.

Allow that silence, that holy hush, to be a time of honor, reflection, and heart-to-heart communion. There’s no obligation to fill it with sound. There can be an amazing time of connection.